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Have you ever WONDERed what life was like for Native Americans long, long ago? When you've studied Native Americans in school, you've probably seen pictures of some of the structures they used as houses. In fact, you're probably quite familiar with the teepee. But did you also know that some Native Americans made structures called wigwams?

Wigwams are round, domed huts that were used by many different Native American cultures. Tribes in the Northeastern United States usually called these structures wigwams, while tribes in the Southwestern United States often called them wickiups. The Wampanoag tribe used the word wetu for these structures.

The curved surfaces of the wigwam made them an ideal shelter in many different types of climates and even the worst of weather conditions. To build a wigwam, Native Americans normally started with a frame of arched poles that were usually made of wood.

Male tribe members were responsible for creating the wigwam frame. They would need to find many young tree saplings that were between 10-15 feet long. A large circle (10-15 feet in diameter) would be drawn on the ground, and the saplings would be spaced an equal distance apart. bent toward the middle and tied together to form the arched frame.

The female members of the tribe would then cover the frame with roofing material that varied by region. Different materials were available in different locations, so some wigwams might be made of birchbark while others were made of grass, brush, rushes, mats, reeds, animal hides, or even cloth. The finished wigwam made a small home that was 8-10 feet tall.

The term wigwam is sometimes used interchangeably with the term teepee. However, wigwams and teepees (sometimes spelled tipis) were very different structures with different uses and different methods of construction.

Teepees were temporary dwellings used by nomadic tribes and hunting parties of the Great Plains Native Americans. Unlike wigwams, teepees were not meant to be used for extended periods of time. Instead, they were easy and simple to construct, since they were intended to be portable.

Teepees were usually made with a few wooden poles and animal skins as coverings. Wigwams often took days to build, whereas teepees could often be disassembled and reassembled elsewhere in a matter of a few hours.

Teepees also differed from wigwams in their use of smoke flaps and an opening at the top. These features allowed teepee users to cook inside and control the amount of smoke. It also helped to keep teepee users warmer, since teepees featured less cover and insulation compared to the more-permanentwigwam.

Wigwams would usually be used for months at a time. For example, a Native American tribe might build wigwams to be used throughout the entire course of the farming season. When winter would come, they would move to a temporary hunting camp. Their wigwams were not portable, so they simply left them. If they survived the winter, they might reuse them. If not, they would simply build new wigwams the following season.

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Try It Out

We hope you enjoyed learning more about Native American housing! Keep exploring by checking out the following activities with a friend or family member:

Do you know what a wigwam looks like? Jump online and check out Native American Houses to see pictures of wigwams, longhouses, teepees, chickees, and other types of Native American houses. Which type of house would you choose if you were a Native American? Why?

Would you have wanted to live in a wigwam if you were a Native American? Why or why not? Think about what life would be like in a wigwam. Don't compare your bedroom today to a wigwam, but instead think of what life was like for the Native Americans. Make a pro/con list of the things that would've been really nice about a wigwam…as well as those things that might not have been so nice. Share your list with a friend or family member. What do they think? Would they have wanted to live in a wigwam? Why or why not?

Up for a challenge? Make your own homemade wigwam! If you have A LOT of help from an adult friend or family member, you could try to build a real wigwam in your backyard. If you don't have the time or materials to build a real wigwam, you can build a craft-version of a wigwam. Have fun creating a wigwam of your very own!

Timothy

Wonderopolis

Oct 26, 2016

Great question, Timothy! Wigwams start with a strong frame of saplings tied together. In addition to grass, wigwams might have been made with brush, rushes, mats, reeds, animal hides, or cloth, which would help them stay together better. It's also important to note that wigwams often were left once the winter season ended, so they didn't need to last very long. :)

Wonderopolis

Nov 7, 2014

Thanks for sharing what you learned with us, Holly! We WONDER where you might look to find images of the inside of Native American homes? Perhaps your librarian can help you find images on the Internet or in books! :)

JACLYN .S

Oct 13, 2014

We had to make a indian shelter for a school project and i picked a wigwam for it so i learned a lot more things that i didn't know about. I really liked the wonder. How often do you think native american people traveled around.it made me wonder a little. :)-

Wonderopolis

Oct 14, 2014

That's really cool, Jaclyn! :D Did you make a miniature version of a wigwam? If so, we'd love to see it! If you'd like, upload a picture of it by clicking on the blue button under Wonder Gallery that says "Share Your Own Media." :)

Ravyn

Oct 10, 2014

These tribes were very smart. Do you suppose we killed off that tribe? Do you think they exist still today. In world history class we are learning about some very advance civilizations such as the Minoans. They developed road systems, indoor plumbing, bull leaping to. I think we can learn from the past.

Wonderopolis

Oct 12, 2014

We definitely agree, Ravyn, we can learn a lot from past civilizations! Thank you for sharing what you're currently learning about in history class! It sounds like the Minoans were pretty fascinating! :)

hunterg

Wonderopolis

Oct 11, 2014

That's a great Wonder, hunterg! Do you think they covered the interior walls with a material, or would they leave it bare, where you could see the saplings used for the structure? Do you think it would be light inside or dark? :)

Sydney

Wonderopolis

Oct 11, 2014

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sydney! It may seem strange to us, considering how we live these days, but perhaps it was a shelter that worked very well for their way of life. We hope to hear from you again soon, Sydney! :)

Wonderopolis

Danniela

Oct 9, 2014

I think that the video is interesting because they talk about what the american indians do and make.I like the part when the man starts making stuff out of wood and he was making a whole wood park or something.

Karen

Wonderopolis

jesus

Oct 9, 2014

It talks about how the indians use to live in the olden days. How they cook how they make their houses and how they make clothes for their children. And it also talks how the indians use to make their own tools and teach their 12 year old to hunt for food.

Wonderopolis

giovanni

Wonderopolis

Oct 10, 2014

Great question, Giovanni! We're not sure how the names were derived, but Wigwam is the word for "house" in the Abenaki tribe, and wetu is the word for "house" in the Wampanoag tribe. We're really glad you're WONDERing with us! :)

Francisco

Wonderopolis

Oct 10, 2014

That's a great question, Francisco! The poles aren't permanently set in the ground, so they can be removed. We imagine the builders reversed the assembly of a teepee in order to remove it, taking off the covering and then taking down the poles. :)

Brook.D

Wonderopolis

Oct 10, 2014

That depends on the tribe of Native Americans, Brook D! Certain tribes would stay in one place for a fairly long time, so they could invest more time and energy into creating their homes (wigwams). Other tribes traveled from place to place often, so they used a more portable type of shelter (teepee). Thanks for WONDERing with us today, Brook! :)

BriannaW

Wonderopolis

Oct 10, 2014

Thanks for hanging out with us in Wonderopolis, Brianna W! Wigwams were not considered to be portable because they took a lot more time to assemble and disassemble than teepees and the materials used to cover the wigwam might not have been easy to travel with, as compared to the materials of the teepee. We hope you are having a WONDERful day! :)

Emilie c

Wonderopolis

Oct 9, 2014

That's a great question, Emilie C! During the farming season, some Native Americans would live in villages with many different families. When winter would come, each family group would move to their own hunting camp. They'd return to the village for farming the next season. Thanks for WONDERing with us today! :)

Joe B

Wonderopolis

Oct 9, 2014

Thanks for sharing your comment, Joe B! We're not sure how long it would take, but we imagine it probably took a good amount of time! They had to find saplings that were just the right size and make sure they were evenly spaced in the circle. Plus it would take time to find the materials used to cover the whole structure and place them in the right spot! It was probably several days or maybe even weeks! :)

Gavin

Wonderopolis

Oct 9, 2014

That's a great question, Gavin! There were many tribes of Native Americans with many different lifestyles. Those who were nomadic often built teepees because they were easier and faster to assemble and disassemble; while those tribes who lived in the same place for longer periods of time built wigwams and other structures that took longer to assemble but were sturdier and more protective. Thanks for asking, Gavin! :)

DeRpY

Wonderopolis

Oct 9, 2014

It was a good guess, Derpy! We encourage you to nominate your Wonder about unicorns on this page (http://wonderopolis.org/what-are-you-wondering/?showform=true)! :) Thanks for hanging out with us today! :)

Abby T

Wonderopolis

Oct 9, 2014

Hi, Abby T! We suppose it depends on the tribe. Some Native Americans were nomadic, meaning they didn't have a permanent residence and instead moved from place to place often. Many tribes of the Great Plains Native Americans followed the migratory pattern of American buffalo in the spring, summer and fall, and then settled for the winter in camps. Thanks for sharing your question! :)